Bangalore, September 14th, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces today announced the second phase of their brand architecture exercise with the roll-over of 19 hotels to their new brand, Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts, slotted in the 5-Star Upper Upscale segment. India’s largest hospitality group flagged off Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts at a gala event at the brand’s marquee hotel, Vivanta by Taj – Whitefield, Bangalore. This follows the highly successful launch of their Upscale brand – The Gateway Hotel – exactly two years ago.
Sixteen erstwhile Taj Hotels joined the three existing Vivanta by Taj hotels to create a brand which has an inventory of nearly 2500 rooms. An aggressive expansion programme is already in place which will see the brand grow organically to more than 30 hotels with over 5000 rooms over the next two years. Vivanta by Taj includes landmark city hotels like like Vivanta by Taj – President, Mumbai and Vivanta by Taj – Connemara as well as some of the best-loved resorts like Vivanta by Taj – Fort Aguada, Goa and Vivanta by Taj – Holiday Village, Goa, among others. (Please find annexed a full list)
Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces have created Vivanta after a series of extensive customer understanding studies. Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts are slated to appeal to the cosmopolitan global traveler who appreciates new experiences and pleasant surprises, rather than the typical hotel stay experience. The Vivanta brand is positioned to be stylish and sophisticated, contemporary, vivid and creative and to afford a cool avatar of luxury. At the same time, Vivanta shares a strong connect with the Taj warmth and friendliness, being overtly endorsed by the quintessential Indian hospitality brand!
Mr. Raymond N Bickson, M.D. & C.E.O., Indian Hotels Company Limitedspoke of enabling the group to grow faster and ensuring that the company has a strong presence across the key hospitality segments. He said, “The launch of Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts heralds a new chapter in the 107 year history of the Taj. This brand is a testament to the dynamism & innovation that the Taj is known for. It supports the company’s stated objective of achieving growth through domestic dominance.”
Mr. Bickson also unveiled the new website www.vivantabytaj.com in the presence of other senior executives including Mr. Abhijit Mukerji, Executive Director Operations, Mr. Anil P Goel, Executive Director Finance and Mr. Veer Vijay Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts.
Mr. Ajoy Misra, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces, explained the company’s rationale for having a basket of brands, each created to appeal to a distinct psychographic segment and detailed the fine level of planning that had gone into conceptualising the brand with its unique experiences and touch-points. IHCL worked with global branding consultants Landor on understanding the strategic imperatives as well as developing the design signature for the brands – “Vivanta will redefine this segment of hotels and offer a very fresh experience to our guests. To fashion this holistic experience, we mapped out various scenarios and aspects of the Customer Journey and crafted intervening touch-points which reaffirm the brand values and ethos.
Speaking about the evolution of the brand and its spirit, Mr. Misra said “Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts are positioned in the Upper-Upscale segment, flanked by Taj in the top-end Luxury segment and The Gateway Hotel in the Upscale segment. Our brand journey, which started a few years ago, continues today with our portfolio consisting of clearly demarcated brands each having a distinct identity, values and experiences.
The name ‘Vivanta’ draws inspiration from the term ‘bon vivant’, signifying sophistication and appreciation for the good things in life and also from the attributes of vividness and vivacity. The brand exudes style and a strong sense of living life to the hilt. Designed to deliver vibrant experiences to its guests, Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts will combine the charming hospitality that is a hallmark of the Taj and overlay it with a contemporary, energetic and vivacious twist.”
Mr. Veer Vijay Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts said “We are extremely passionate about the launch of Vivanta by Taj! Our guests can look forward to many subtle yet pleasantly surprising touches at our hotels.”
Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces has been operating three hotels under the Vivanta by Taj brand for periods ranging from twelve to twenty months. These hotels include Vivanta by Taj – Whitefield, Bangalore, Vivanta by Taj – Panaji, Goa and Vivanta by Taj – Coral Reef, Maldives. The brand touch-points have been in operation at these hotels and guests have been highly appreciative of the Vivanta way. This gave the Taj opportunity to study, fine-tune and enhance the experiences based on customer feedback. Going forward, the migrating hotels and resorts will also offer these stylish and spirited experiences.
The Indian Hotels Company Limited has an aggressive growth plan for Vivanta by Taj. Within the next few months, new-build Vivanta by Taj hotels would be opened in key metropolitan areas like Bangalore (Yeshwantpur), Hyderabad (Begumpet), Coimbatore (Race Course Road) and three in Delhi/NCR (Dwarka, Gurgaon and Shahdara). In the same period, 3 Vivanta by Taj resorts will also open in Madikeri in Coorg, Bekal in north Kerala and Srinagar in Kashmir. In addition, six more projects are already under development for new Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts.”
The rollout of the Vivanta by Taj brand within the Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces portfolio fulfills its commitment to deliver a more defined and focused customer experience, keeping in step with evolving customer needs.
